Over the course of the past month, Shane Rickard has been tested in ways most of us can’t even begin to imagine.
Just 17-years-old and a student at Honesdale High School, Shane suffered a terrible injury while hunting on his family’s property in Cherry Ridge.
On Wednesday, January 6th, Rickard was accidentally shot in the back. In the blink of an eye, he went from invincible teenager to a scared kid fighting for his life.
As news of this tragic accident spread like wildfire across Wayne County, family, friends and acquaintances immediately began praying for Shane’s recovery.
A Facebook page appeared overnight on the Internet. It’s entitled: “Shane Rickard Can Pull Through.” Listed on this page are hundreds of get-well messages...many of them addressed to “Superman.”
It’s a tribute both to Shane’s popularity and to his strength of will. After all, not even the “kryptonite” of a stray bullet can slow down “Superman.”
Road to Recovery
Shane was transported to Scranton’s Community Medical in Scranton, where he was stabilized. From there, he journeyed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Rickard’s wound was considered life-threatening at the outset. Both of his lungs were punctured by the bullet and subsequently collapsed.
In addition, Shane suffered a spinal cord injury that left him unable to walk.
“It was pretty intense, pretty scary,” Shane told TWI Sports of those terrifying first few hours and days. “But, I have an awesome family and amazing friends. They definitely helped me get through it.”
On the heels of delicate surgery, doctors had to deal with a nasty case of pneumonia...an all-too common complication of many lung injuries.
Once that hurdle had been cleared, Shane was able to be-gin re-hab for his spinal cord injury...a process that will take several months.
“The doctors say that I could be done with everything in six weeks,” he said. “I’m really look-ing forward to getting home.”
Shane isn’t able to walk on his own yet, but he’s battling his way through many hours of intense re-hab each day. His phone call to TWI Sports came shortly after finishing up one such grueling session.
“I feel pretty good,” he said from his Philadelphia hospital room. “I’m still sore, but it’s more fatigue than anything else. It’s like you feel after a really intense workout at the gym.”
